The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-27
NOVELTIES IN CLUB LIFE.
An Institution in Which Both Sexes
Are Eligible to Membership.

An Institution in Which Both Sexes
Are Eligible to membership.
New YORK, Dec. 25.-The Drawing
Room Club is a novelty in the club line that
has just procured charter preliminary to
its poisoning out in this city. Its novel
feature is that both sexes are equally eligible
to membership in it, and a minor feature is
its object, which is to promote culture, dis
counteance vanity, have social reunions and
raise a library and art gallery. Among its
founders are a number of ladies and gentle
men well known in our cultured circles
The growth and working of this high toned
club will be watched with interest.
In some respects it bears a resemblance to
the famous Nineteenth Century Club, which
has been in existence for some years, but
which is q private enterprise and has al
WAYS until lately held its periodical sympo-
Sums in the house of its millionaire foun-
der. This club has membership of both
sexes, and it offers a free forum for the de-
bate of burning questions; but Mr.. Palmer
has never tried to make it such an institu-
ton as the Drawing Room Club aims to be-
come nor have its female members ever
played any such part in its management
as is to be played by those in the new VEN
ture.
The Twilight Club of this city occasional
ly holds entertainments at which the fair
sex are invited to participate in the feast
and the flow of reason; but the members
aver that such occasions are totally unlike
those at which the smoking and drinking
gender enjoys itself by itself. In the Lotos
and Union League clubs also, once in
while. there Is Ladies' Day." when the
gentle sex is allowed to get a glimpse into
the mysterious precincts Of clubdom; but
this is merely an incident of day which
has no relation to tue course of things all the
year round.
But no innovation upon the old-fashioned
ways OF regular ciubdom has created such
interest as that just reported from Phila-
delphia. One OF the heightened clubs there
has set apart quarters in its establishment
Tor the service of the wives Of its members.
These ladies are permitted to make the club
house place of rendezvous where they can
meet Their husbands. and, if it be so de-
sired, take dinner with them. Here, For OK
ample, is a married member of the club
dwelling in the suburbs and doing busine S
in the city who desires to so to a theatre or
| prayer meeting; his vie drives IRON her
home to the club, and he wends his way
from bis place of business to the CLUB,
where they dine and are ready for duty else
where: any one can see how convenient tho
| innovation is for all part es. And this start
| ling novelty, with all that it implies, origi-
mated in the sta1d city OF Philadelphia, and
in one OF its swell clubs! the reports of 1t
have proved quite entertaining TO the an
| cient and saturnine VIZ horses of clubdom
| in New York. Yet if the thing works well
and properly we shall doubtless, after a
while, see it tried here. Ald thea and thus
many people can enjoy social intercourse
and agreeable company at table with far
less expense and trouble than it could be
procured at their own houses This is the
favorable view of the Philadelphia novelty
| in club life JOHN SwINToN.